Means for forming plaits



July 27, 1943. A. McD. l-uzss 2,325,056 I MEANS FOR FORMING PLEATS FiledJuly '26, 1939 fl up i INVENTOR uv' gA-r-ronwav Patented July 27, 1943UNHTED STATES PATENT). OFFICE r 2,325,056 V I MEANS roe FORMING PLAITSAlexander McDonald Hess, Jamaica; Ni Y. -7 Application an 26,1939,-Serial No. 286,573-

' roam. (Cl.160'348)" v This invention relates to headings forcurtains,drapes or other fabrics whereby plaits may be readily formed.

This application is a continuation in part of 'my application Serial No.29,339, filed July 1,

1935, new Patent No. 2,167,651, granted Aug. 1,

A further objectof the invention is to provide improved means forsecuring female snap fastening members together,

A further object of the invention is to provide fabrics or tapewherein'the plaiting may be ac- .complished by snap fastenings of whichthe female members only are secured in the fabric, the

male members being separate, whereby when the male members are removedthe fabric wiil present no projections which are objectionableparticularly in connection with laundering.

Other and ancillary objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing which iiiustrates the invention- Fig. 1 is aplan view, partly broken away, of a tape having the edges of itsopenings impregnated to prevent fraying or distortion of the edges ofthe holes, such tape being adapted to be attached to the edge of acurtain or the like for causing plaiting thereof by the insertion of asupporting pole or rod through the openings in the tape;

Fig. 2 is a face View of a tape, partly broken away, which may be usedin plaiting operation but wherein all of the snap fastening members areof the female type;

Fig. 3 is a snap fastening member adapted to cooperate with two femalefastening members;

Fig. 4 is a modified form of metal snap fastening member adapted tocooperate with two female snap fastening members;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary View showing the manner of cooperation of adouble-headed metal snap fastening member with two female snap fasteningmembers or eyelets to form a plait;

Fig. 6 is a face view, partly broken away, of a The main object ofinvention isto provide III tape adapted foruse ina plaiting operationwhich 7 has a plurality. ofqeyelets reenforced ina man-- ner such thatmetal is avoided and still they may function as; the-female *membersgofsnap fas-;; toners. l 1 we 3 Referring to the drawing, and first to Fig.1,: thereis therein shown a tape I of suitable textile, material havingopenings or eyelets 2 for the recaption-of a curtain rod or for otherpurposes.

This tape, when sewed or otherwise secured-to the edge of the curtain.or other fabric, may have. thecurtain rod inserted through its openingswhen the curtain will be supported by the rod;-

andalsothe tape and curtain to which it is secured will be plaited.Textile material having holes cut in it is apt tohave the edgesof the.

hole fray particularly during laundering To prevent. this the-edges ofthe fabric about the hole may be impregnated for a certain zone 3,

about the'hole with a suitable water-proofing andsolidifying substance,as for instance wax or paraffin. Substances peculiarly adapted for thepurpose indicated are solutions of nitro-cellulose or synthetic resinhaving water repellant characteristics. An example of a substance ofthis character is as follows:

Percent Nitro cotton (-20 seconds) 1 High melt paraflin wax 4 Naphthenebase mineral oil 6 Butyl stearate 2 Butyl acetate 4 Ethyl acetateGasolene 13 Toluol This treatment of the fabric prevents the unsightlyfraying which would otherwise occur and also holds the edges of theopening more firmly in position. The eyelets 2 formed by the reenforcedand stiffened edges as described may serve as the female members of snapfasteners.

Fig. Zshows a tape 4 which may be threaded through a fabric or may besewed or otherwise secured to a curtain edge or other appropriatelocation, and the fasteners in the tape when drawn together operate toplait the curtain. This tape 4 is provided with equally spaced femalesnap fastening members or eyelets 5. In order to se cure or drawtogether adjacent ones of the snap fastening members 5, a double-headedmetal fasball 6 and headed up inside the balls. This may be used inconnection with the structure of Fig. 2 by inserting one of the balls 6into one of the female snap fastening members 5 and the other ballmember may be inserted into the adjacent snap fastening member 5. Thelength of the connector as shown in Fig. 3 being less than the distancebetween adjacent fastening members 5, it will be apparent that when thefastener of Fig. 3 is secured in position as described, the fasteningmembers 5 will be drawn closer together and a plait or wrinkle formed inthe tape 4 as shown in Fig. 5. The depth of the plait may be madeanything desired by varying the length of the bar I.

In Fig. 4 is shown another form of metal fastening member adapted tocooperate with the structure of Fig. 2 in a manner similar to that shownin Fig. 5. This fastening member of Fig. 4 is integral comprising a head8 at each end and the base portion 9. This is applied to the structureof Fig. 2 in a manner similar to that described in connection with thefastener of Fig. 3 by inserting the heads l into adjacent female snapfastening members 5 when the plait or wrinkle of the tape 4 and thefabric associated therewith will be accomplished as set forth inconnection with the fasteners of Fig. 3.

The fasteners of Figs. 3 and 4 and also the eyelets or female snapfastening members!) will ordinarily be of metal, but the fasteningmembers 5 might be formed by stitching after the manner of Working theedges of a button hole or by impregnating the edges of the hole asdescribed in connection with Fig. 1. An eyelet or snap fastener formedby stitching around the edge of the hole as described, is shown in Fig.6 wherein the tape ID of textile fabric has holes H therein, each of theholes being surrounded by stitching 12 after the manner of working abutton hole, whereby the edge of the hole is defined, stiffenedandstrengthened. In some re'-- lationships, as for instance in relation tothe nonmetallic eyelet of Fig. 6, it would be desirableto make the malefastening means such as is shown in Fig. 4, of rubber or other suitableyielding material which would not be so hard as to be liable to injureor wear the edges of the holes H having the worked or stitched edges.

Thi metal fastener might have the heads at its ends inserted infastening female fastening members and form plaits as indicated in Fig.5. I,

therefore, contemplate making such metal fas-- tener of rubber or othersuitable material.

While the invention has been illustrated in what are considered its bestapplications, it may have other embodiments without departing from itsspirit and is not, therefore, limited to the structures shown in thedrawing.

What I claim is:

A plaited tape structure comprising in combination a snap fasteningmember having a male snap fastening constituting the extremity at eachend of said member and a bar connecting said male fastenings wherebysaid male fastenings are engaged With'female fastenings by a thrustsubstantially longitudinally of said bar, a tape having' female snapfastenings only, said male fasteningsbeing engaged in two of said femalesnap fastenings in said tape, the length of tape between the engagedfemale fastenings being greater than the length of said bar whereby saidlast mentioned female snap fastenings are drawn together to form aplait, said fastening member wholly lying between the edges of said tapetion to another.

ALEXANDER McD. HESS.

